Hundreds flee US-backed Syria battle for last Daesh holdout

It still holds land in central Syria in a remote desert area otherwise controlled by the government. They separated 15, all with long beards, and took them one by one behind a rock to search them.

On Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 70 civilians had been killed and wounded by air strikes that it said hit a camp for civilians in Baghouz, and that 16 civilians were killed in strikes overnight.

SDF spokesman Bali said at the weekend that up to 600 jihadists could remain inside the pocket, majority foreigners.

'There are mines throughout the sector, ' said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based war monitor.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said the coalition may declare victory over IS in Syria within days.

This frame grab from video posted online January 18, 2019, by supporters of the Islamic State group, purports to show a gun-mounted IS vehicle firing at members of the US -backed Syrian Democratic Forces, in the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour, Syria.

SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said on Monday that many civilians remained in Baghouz, compelling the militia to go cautiously.

The latest fighting caused an exodus of around 20,000 civilians from Baghouz and nearby areas, many of them the foreign wives and children of Islamic State militants.

SDF forces have been supported in their push against Islamic State by intense airstrikes from a US-led coalition, according to the observatory.

The SDF made "slow and methodical" progress in the battle near the Iraqi border, according to the USA -led coalition backing it.

During an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Tuesday, acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan met Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi but the possibility of U.S. troops in Iraq deploying into Syria for operations against IS "just did not come up" during their talks, Shanahan told reporters.

Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan on Tuesday made an unannounced visit to Baghdad and met with the Iraqi premier over a continued United States troop presence in Iraq after a pullout from Syria.

The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said ISIS members will be interrogated by Iraqi security agencies.

Abdul-Mahdi's announcement came a week after the US called on other nations to repatriate and prosecute their citizens who travelled to Syria to fight with IS and who are now being held by Washington's local partners.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in December he would pull all 2,000 American troops out of Syria, announcing the battle against Islamic State nearly over. However, the official said this is making the fighting more hard as the terrorists are working to hold onto their last stronghold.

Last month, France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told French media that a handful of French jihadis had already returned home and more would follow soon after the departure of American troops.

"We think coalition members need to take responsibility for their citizens who are fighters".

Related News:

It can cause complications including pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, seizures, deafness, brain damage and death. Several days later, a rash develops, starting on the face and upper neck and gradually spreading downwards.

Little also told agents that he drew his victims - and each portrait is marked with a city and year in which the murder occurred. Another is of a black woman with purple hair aged between 25 and 28 years old who was killed in Houston, Texas, decades ago.

The screen is slightly curved at the edges, but this isn't similar to Samsung's Edge, and the side bezels are noticeable too. There's a wide notch at the top of the screen similar to the one on the G7 ThinQ, an audio jack and a sizeable bottom chin.

Chief regulatory officer Brant Dunshea outlined the protocols for what the BHA has described as "risk-managed return" to racing. Around 700 tests a day are being conducted, with the Animal Health Trust prioritising horses considered most at risk.

There isn't much known about the Breaking Bad movie at this point, as numerous plot points are being kept under wraps. It's unclear whether or not the movie will air as one continuous feature, or get chopped into multiple installments.

Reddit is ranked among the most visited U.S. websites, and has more than 138,000 "communities" for discussions on various topics. Some media later suggested that the investment created "a great deal of confusion", as Reddit is now blocked in China.

In fact, Quinn made several strong comments about his ideal view of the type of players he wants to sign in Detroit. Dorsey acknowledged that the Browns will take a PR hit for the signing, but it clearly isn't affecting business.

In his first two years in office, Trump easily surpassed Obama's golf outings over the same time period. President Theodore Roosevelt had the White House renovated to update the lighting from gas to electric.

A New Jersey native, Barba was an American Idol hopeful in the same season that saw Jordin Sparks crowned the eventual victor . The group allegedly stored the drugs in a Norfolk apartment, and the documents list several drug deals occurring in late 2018.

While Apple's share of the Middle Kingdom's smartphone dropped, sales of devices from rival Huawei Technologies Co. Apple's October-December shipments suffered a almost 20-percent decline from the same period in the previous year.

Most liked

Happ Makes History, Badgers Fall to Michigan State
What'd we learn from the Spartans' gritty win at Wisconsin? D'Mitrik Trice is also contributing 13.2 points per game for the team. Penn State took the lead at 10-7 and never looked back, upsetting number-seven MI 75-69 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Google Ready To Launch Pixel Lite, Smartwatch As Ambitions Grow
Nikkei Asian Review spoke to unnamed "industry sources" who revealed a cavalcade of Google products that are now in the pipeline. Before "made by Google" Pixel phones , the company worked with hardware partners such as HTC and LG to offer Nexus devices.

Nigeria’s crude oil production falls to 1.999m bpd
The American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a smaller-than-expected draw of 998,000 barrels during the week-ending February 8. Despite the stunning surge in oil prices this year, Goldman Sachs says there is more to go for the critical energy commodity.

North Macedonia signs installed on border with Greece
Greece had said use of the name Macedonia implied a territorial claim on a northern Greek province of the same name. Skopje and Athens buried a 27-year dispute in agreeing in June last year to rename Macedonia as North Macedonia.

Head of FEMA resigning, questioned over use of vehicles
Long's improper use of government resources for personal travel fit a pattern among senior Trump administration officials. The development intensifies pressure on Long to step down and comes as he leads FEMA's response to Hurricane Florence.

Netanyahu Confirms Latest Israeli Strike in Syria
Transatlantic cooperation was necessary to resolve problems in the Middle East, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said. The United States and Poland kicked off an global conference on the Middle East on Wednesday.

Iran FM links bus bombing to Warsaw meeting
In 2009, more than 40 people, including six Guard commanders, were killed in a suicide attack in Sistan-Baluchestan province. In 2018, the Guards launched missiles at an Iranian Kurdish armed opposition group in northern Iraq .